Armando Colaco says Indian football is in a transition of revival; feels Sunil’s inclusion will strengthen the players’ belief’
Sudeep Pakrashi: The country’s two Dronacharya Awardees, Armando Colaco and Bimal Ghosh, played a crucial role in the selection of Khalid Jamil as the senior national coach. Both the Dronacharya Awardees were invited to the AIFF’s Technical Committee meeting before the selection of the senior national coach, and both Colaco and Ghosh emphasized in their advice to the Technical Committee to choose Khalid Jamil instead of Stephen Constantine as the senior national coach. After the Blue Tigers’ historic bronze in the CAFA Nations Cup, especially after the victory against higher-ranked Oman, Armando Colaco sounds like a happy man. While speaking over the phone from Goa on Tuesday, the coach, under whose guidance the senior national team achieved a memorable 2-2 draw against mighty United Arab Emirates in a World Cup qualifying match at the Ambedkar Stadium, Delhi, explained, “Indian football seems to be in a transition of revival. Not only did the senior national team acquire a bronze medal with the inspiring triumph against fancied Oman, but the under-23 national team have also dished out an excellent performance in the ongoing under-23 Asian Cup qualifiers so far. The women’s national team, both senior and junior level, have earned qualification for the final phase of the AFC Women’s Championship. So, I am happy to see that Indian football has started coming out of its recent failure.” Khalid Jamil revealed before the team’s trip to Tajikistan to participate in the CAFA Nations Cup that he would bring Sunil Chhetri back in the senior national team before they face Singapore in the crucial Asian Cup qualifier at home on 14th October. The 72-year-old coach, who is presently the head coach of Sporting Clube De Goa, agreed with Khalid’s plans. “If I had been the national coach, I would have requested Sunil also to break international retirement and join the senior national team.” Colaco added, “The performance he exhibited in the last ISL would compel any national coach to call him back. I believe Sunil’s inclusion in this team will strengthen the footballers’ self-belief, which played a crucial role in the national team’s spirited performance in the CAFA Nations Cup.”
Mishra stuns Gukesh; Says Never Felt He was ‘Inferior’
After hailing his winning banner for long, Gukesh Dommaraju has succumbed to a crushing defeat to Abhimanyu Mishra in the fifth round of the ongoing FIDE Grand Swiss tournament in Samarkand. Abhimanyu, the Indian-origin American chess GM, has become the youngest in history to defeat a reigning world champion in classical chess after he long possessed a record as the youngest player to become a grandmaster in chess history. However, even after crushing the reigning World Chess Champion, the American Chess GM didn’t find it satisfactory. He ruefully stated to FIDE that, “Even though I won, it doesn’t feel as pleasing as my previous games in the tournament. It wasn’t a very clean game.” “But the tournament is going better than I could have possibly imagined. If I keep up this form, I have a very real chance of winning the tournament. Yesterday too, I made some errors against Pragg. But I never felt like I was inferior to these players (Gukesh and Pragg). I think I am at par with them.” By the 20th move, it looked as if Gukesh might script another of his trademark escapes — the kind of Houdini act he has made a habit of in the past year. But Abhimanyu refused to let go, and by move 37, Gukesh was once again staring down the barrel. He fought, clawed, and resisted till the 61st move, but this time there was no miracle. The young Indian was finally forced to resign, ending a gripping contest that had the chess world glued to his every move. The clash between D. Gukesh and Abhimanyu Mishra had such magnetic pull that no fewer than 16 grandmasters — from Ergodmus to Ian Nepomniachtchi, Vasyl Ivanchuk to Kateryna Lagno — were seen pausing their own battles just to watch the drama unfold on this board. Mishra’s win over D. Gukesh came barely a day after his win against another jewel of India’s golden generation. He had held his banner against Praggnanandhaa.In that game, even with a pawn deficit, Mishra steered the battle calmly toward a hard-earned draw. Now, as fate would have it, Tuesday could pit him against the third star of this remarkable Indian trio — Arjun Erigaisi. The new generation of chess has emerged as a new standard. Where the young prodigies are continuously on the way to becoming the elite players at younger ages with every passing year. Players like Mishra are a clear example of these prodigies becoming elite.
UEFA orders 15 percent of the seats ‘closed’; Harry Kane prepared to handle ‘racist abuses’!
Ahead of their crucial World Cup qualifier against England on Tuesday, the Football Association of Serbia (FSS) has appealed to supporters in a statement to ‘create a positive atmosphere’ to show the spirit and make the country proud.’ The FSS appeal came after UEFA ordered 15% of the 50,000 seats at Rajko Mitic Stadium to be closed on Tuesday as punishment for racist behavior by Serbian fans against Andorra in June. England players were the target of racist abuse in a Euro 2020 qualifying game in Bulgaria that was stopped twice as officials threatened to abandon the match. England won 6-0 However, England captain Harry Kane also revealed during the media conference that they are ready to handle the situation if they face ‘racist abuses’ again. He said, “We had a meeting and we discussed the protocols that are in place, more from UEFA’s point of view, (but) I don’t think we like to discuss it too much.” He added, “Our focus is on the game. Our focus is on trying to beat Serbia on the pitch.” Kane also did not forget to explain about the situation, stating, “Anything can happen, of course, and we are prepared for that but we’re thinking about the game and, like the statement Serbian FA put out, it’s about enjoying the spectacle, enjoying the game, and we hope that’s the case tomorrow. These are things that are hard to talk about now because we don’t know if it’s going to happen or not. But ultimately, in the event it does happen, we’ll be prepared to do what is necessary,” explained England captain. Victory on Tuesday would put Thomas Tuchel’s England team, which leads Group K with four wins from four games, a step closer to qualifying for next year’s finals. However, it is England’s toughest test so far. Beyond the hostile environment expected in Belgrade, Serbia is England’s highest-ranked opponent in the group at 32.
UAE excited to play against superstars Hardik Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah: Alishan Sharafu
UAE opener Alishan Sharafu is excited to play against the heavy-weight names like Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya. UAE will start their campaign in the Asia Cup 2025 campaign against India on 10th September. The Indian team have faced the UAE only once in the T-20I format, which was in the Asia Cup 2016. It is nearly a decade later that the rivalry resumes with Suryakumar Yadav and Muhammad Waseem as the captains of the two sides. Sharafu said ahead of the match, “I think they are all quality players. If we have to take some names, like I said, Jasprit Bumrah or someone like Hardik Pandya. These guys are match-winners and they can change the game on their own. I’m quite excited to go out there and have that experience of playing against them. Hopefully, we can give them a tough time.” UAE recently played against Pakistan and Afghanistan in the tri-series where they did not win a single game. In their final match of the tournament, they came really close to beating the Afghan side but ended up losing the match by only 4 runs. Despite the losses, Sharafu said that the team was confident in its abilities and could spring a surprise against Suryakumar Yadav’s side.
Gattuso calls Italy’s 5-4 win the ‘wildest game’ as coach! Italy’s World Cup hopes stay alive
Italy’s 2026 World Cup hopes nearly ended Monday at the Nagyerdei Stadium, as underdogs Israel gave the Azzurri a scare in a 5-4 World Cup qualifier. In a wild contest, Italy scored two own goals, came from behind twice, and conceded a late equalizer, but won to stay alive in Group I. Italy won their first game under Gattuso 5-0 over Estonia on Friday. Away against Israel, performance slipped but they still secured three points on neutral ground. “It was murder today. It’s the craziest game I’ve been involved with as a coach, but it is my problem and not that of the players. If we want to play in a certain way, we need to get better at this. We were crazy to go on the attack systematically, that’s what Israel were waiting for, they hit us on the counter every time. We could’ve defended deeper when leading,” Gattuso told reporters after the game. Italy’s qualification hopes received a much-needed lift with the scrappy result. The win over Israel has moved them into second in Group I, giving them a clear path to the play-offs. With group leaders Norway now just three points ahead, the team is in a prime spot. Missing out on a second straight World Cup would be nothing short of a disaster for the nation.
